March 2015

September 13, 2011

Today we are going to talk about shadows. Shadows are really important on digital scrapbook pages. Shadows give a layout dimension and depth. They are really essential if you want your pages to look realistic.

On this first page, I didn't use any shadowing. The page looks flat and there is no definition between the border strips at the bottom of the page.

Perhaps you can see it a little more clearly in the close up. The border part almost looks like one piece of patterned paper. There is no separation between the layers.

By adding shadows, you can see the layers and elements begin to pop. There is dimension to the page and the layers of borders are clearly defined.

So how do you do it? Well shadowing is truly an art and I will admit it's an art that I far from excel at. Enter Shadow Layer Styles. Shadow Layer Styles are basically settings that have been saved for you. A set of them might include different styles for paper, buttons, stitching, and other parts of a page.

You can pick up a basic set of styles for free. This is a great way to get started shadowing and see if styles are for you!

1. Flergs has a free set of shadow styles and a quick tutorial on how they work. A great beginning set.

2. Megan Turnidge not only imparts a good deal of information about shadowing. Her free set of styles is top notch.

3. Krystal Hartley offers another free set. This set is what I started with. Krystal has a light hand with shadows and I used these almost exclusively until I bought a couple sets.

For minimal cost, you can pick up a set or two that have more options. Peppermint Granberg and Jenn Barrette offer amazing shadow style sets. These sets include many different styles for different elements on your pages. The two sets work together really well as both sets have the light hitting at the same 45 degree angle. I use these styles on almost all of my pages.

Installing layer styles is a fairly easy process. Check out the resources below for how to's.

September 12, 2011

Hi there! It's Celeste back hosting this week. A few months ago the lovely Rebecca Cooper hosted a week that introduced us to digital scrapbooking. This week, I'm going to focus on some next steps, kind of a Digi Scrap 102. I'll share some tips and tricks to help you easily add punch to your digital pages. Some of the tips I'll share will also help paper scrappers - so hey you, over there with the scissors, don't tune out! And everyone be sure to read the postscript below!

To start, I created this templatefor all of you to play with. As you can see, you can use the large block for a photo and the smaller blocks could be papers or photos. The choice is yours. To download the template, click on the image.

I filled in the blocks and added my title and journaling much in the same way Crystal discusses in the video to create this page about my niece and her dog, Sadie. I added some digital stitching, a couple extra buttons, and a clip to personalize the template.

Digital templates are great starting points for pages. You can use them as is, like I did above or you can change them up a bit for different looks.

Above Francine Cloudenrotated the template 90 degrees clockwise. Then pulled the journaling back to the bottom of the page. To accomplish this in Photoshop Elements or Photoshop CS, simply go to Image > Image Rotation and select 90° CW. Then in the Layers Palette, click on the Journaling layer and go to Edit > Transform > Rotate 90° CW. Using the Move tool on the Tools palette (this looks like an arrow with a plus), click on the Journaling layer and drag it to the bottom of the page.

Another easy way to change up a template is to shrink or stretch the template. In the Layers palette, select all of the layers except the background layer. You can use the CTRL key and a click of your mouse to select multiple layers. Then go to Edit > Free Transform and while holding down the shift key, use your mouse to resize the layers either bigger or smaller. As you can see, Ann Costen stretched the template to fill more of the page. Then using the same process for rotating the journaling; she rotated the title and placed it on the left edge to balance out the page. I love how she filled the template with photos!

Other template changes include resizing from 12x12 to 8.5x11, using blocks for photos instead of papers, and only using parts of the template to create your page. Paper scrappers, this same technique can be used with sketches. It's a great way to get more than one look out of a sketch!

To close the day, I thought I'd share some places you can go and download free digital scrapbooking templates. Paper scrappers check out these sites and use the templates as sketches!

If you create a page with the template, I'd love to see it! Post it in our Flickr gallery and link me up here! I'll be back tomorrow with more digi tips. Stay tuned!

P.S. I made the banner using Julie Billingsley's kit Rule the School available at Sweet Shoppe Designs! And keep this on the down low (i.e. don't tell the boss lady) shhhhh! Julie is a sweetheart and offered up a little giveaway to one lucky commenter. You'll get a copy of Rule the School for free! Leave a comment on this thread (you have until Thursday Midnight EST) and I'll pull a winner and post on Friday.

September 11, 2011

September 10, 2011

Welcome to our first new format Saturday. This week we are featuring journaling. Please join in and post your inspired layouts to our Flickr gallery! We will post some of our Flickr favorites in the Saturday post on September 24th! Thank you for playing along and we hope you like this new feature!

Here are some examples from our team to help you see your journaling challenges translated into pages.

Today when I went outside, I could smell...

While I started this page with the prompt I let it move to an honest place. I have few photos from my childhood and therefore even fewer pages so I love letting the memories flow. This prompt was a great excuse to write some down. xx marnie

My favorite teacher was...

- Karen

- Karen

You are going to start to see how I play within the rules (not well apparently!!) I loved so many teachers that I couldn't pick just one. Instead I listed all my elementary teachers and a few random memories from each year. I might try to do one for Jr High next! xx marnie

school bus memories/school bus antics/reaction to seeing your child ride the school bus

created by Paula

I wanted to write down the thoughts that go through my head when my girls get on the bus and head off to school for the day. What stuck with me is the line "my heart is on your bus." That's exactly how I feel as the bus pulls away. ~Jody

This layout chronicles Poppy's thrill of finally getting to ride the bus. Having enviously watched her older brother ride the bus for years, Poppy was excited for her turn. More excited for the bus than school, actually!! xx marnie

............................................

That's it! We hope you feel inspired to record a memory or two! Please don't forget to leave a comment and a link to your layout if you make one!! Thank you for stopping and have a wonderful weekend!

September 09, 2011

Hey there scrappy friends! It's Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday! Yeah. Can't believe I just typed that! I digress. Anyway, I'm looking forward to some family time this weekend, but before that I've got one last project to share with you. This one is a bit more advanced, but still doable and would be a wonderful addition to your home's decor. My favorite part is that it includes photos of my sweet growing girl that I get to look at every time I'm in her bedroom. This would also make a great addition to a family room or den with family or heritage photos.

Project #4: Shadow Box

I picked this shadow box up at a Making Memories warehouse sale for dirt cheap, and it's been sitting on my craft room shelf for several months. Since I already have other projects to celebrate my baby's first year, I thought I would include her 2nd year photos on this one. I used the Baby Mine line from Fancy Pants Design, which included some fun specialty papers and embellishments.

Here's a basic run-down on creating a similar project:

Wipe your shadow box with a damp cloth to remove dust. Your photos and products will adhere more securely that way. Measure and record the size of the openings.

Gather, print, and crop your photos. I enlarged my focal photo to 5x7 inches so I could use it to create a scrapbook page in the large opening. I printed the smallest photos wallet size and cropped them to fit inside the small openings.

Gather your supplies. I went with products from the same line to save me time and effort. You could also pick a theme or color scheme and “shop your stash” to create your own kit.

Adhere your photos first. I used foam dots because my openings are so deep. I left some openings blank so I could fill them with paper, embellishments, and journaling.

Fill in the rest of your shadow box openings with paper, embellishments, mementos, and whatever else you’d like. Remember to use a good strong adhesive (a glue gun is great for 3D embellishments), and think “outside the box”—your elements don’t have to stay inside the openings. They can be placed around the frame too.

Bonus Tutorial!

I thought I’d share how to make the layered flowers for this project using the filter paper embellishments from Fancy Pants. They come as flat circles, and because they’re made of thin pliable filter paper they’re super easy to scrunch, gather, stitch, staple, layer, mist, ink, or anything else you can come up with!

Just scrunch one of the filter papers toward its center and staple it. Scrunch a smaller one and staple it on top of the other. Punch out a small circle from a scrap of cardstock and cover it with glue dots. Adhere some ric rac, winding it around and layering it from the outside toward the inside of the circle. Add a stitched button to the center of the ric rac and adhere it over the layered filter papers.

Not only is this a great way to preserve memories and photos, but it’s also a great piece of DIY home décor that will add a wonderful touch to any room. Give it a try!

Thank you so much for joining me this week. I hope you've enjoyed these projects. If you've been inspired to create something for your home, be sure and post it in our Flickr gallery and/or post a link in the comments below. Have a great weekend!

September 08, 2011

It's home decor galore here at Write. Click. Scrapbook. so we thought we would help inspire you to create something lovely to decorate your space by joining with Big Picture Classes to offer one lucky reader a spot in a brand new home decor class!

This new class taught by our own Aly Dosdall is the first of its kind at Big Picture. In Doable DIY Décor, Aly will take you step-by-step through three adorable and totally doable home décor projects using items you probably have hanging around your home. You will learn some basic crafting techniques (Mod Podge anyone?), how to alter some household items, and you’ll see just how versatile your scrapbook supplies really are. You can display these projects in your own home, or give them as gifts to your friends and family.

If you would like to be considered for this giveaway, leave a comment below telling us if you've ever created your own home decor item, or if you haven't tell us what you'd like to create. Comments will remain open until 8:00 pm PST. One lucky number will be drawn at random and posted on Friday morning. Please remember it is your responsibility to check back and to claim your lucky number by midnight on Saturday! Good luck everyone!

September 07, 2011

Hey there! Welcome to day 3 of Home Decor Week. I've hope you've been inspired by some of the projects I've shared. I'm always inspired as I browse the interenet for home decor ideas and inspiration. A couple times a week I'll head over to my favorite blogs and see what other crafters are making. Pinterest of course if one of my favorite places to look, but here are a few other blogs I visit regularly for DIY and home decor ideas:

It can be addicting just looking for ideas, and sometimes I have to remind myself that I'm collecting ideas to actually create something, LOL! Anyway, on to today's project.

Project # 3: Paper Wreath

The concept is very simple, but this project is a bit more time consuming than the others I've shared. But once you've cut all your 2x3 inch paper strips (I think I used about 50 blocks of cardstock and double sided Jillibean Soup patterned paper) turn on your favorite DVD and you'll be done before the movie is. The base of this wreath is just a 12 inch wood wreath form from Michael's (40% off coupon, yeah baby!) First I covered the inside of the wood wreath form with paper blocks, keeping them all at the same 45 degree angle. Then I did a second layer at the same angle going around the outside of the circle. Then I covered the top of those layers with a ring of paper blocks, using double stacked pop dots for dimension. Last I added some embellishments on top. You could make one of these for any occasion or holiday. Fun!

September 06, 2011

Welcome back to Decor Week here at Write. Click. Scrapbook. I'm glad you're here. Now if you consider yourself strictly a scrapbooker, or cardmaker, and have never tried your hand at home decor, you may find yourself wondering why? Why make stuff? Why not just scrapbook since there's hardly enough time to do that? That's a good question, and I have a few answers:

1. it can save money 2. it allows for creative expression in a different way 3. you can use up your stash 4. you can make great gifts, or 5. you can create something uniquely yours

I'm not here to convert you to becoming a DIY fanatic--papercrafting isn't for everyone and that's perfectly fine. We should do what we enjoy the most! But, if you've considered giving it a try, or you really enjoy other's projects you've seen, I say jump on in! The water's fine. =)

Today I have another project to share with you that I made to display my one little word this year.

Project #2: Framed Button Art

I removed the glass from an old 8x10 frame that was sitting in a box in my garage. I spray painted it with some Rustoleum indoor/outdoor satin finish in Oregano. I then chose a neutral but interesting background patterned paper (My Mind's Eye), added my one litlle word using Jillibean Soup corrugated alphas, and finished it off with a bunch of different sized buttons and twine wrapped buttons from Jillibean Soup. Once the frame was painted, this took me about 15 minutes to make. It sits on top of the bookshelf in my craft room to remind me of my goals this year.

I love button decor. Love. Here are a few pieces of inspiration I've found:

September 05, 2011

Welcome to home decor week! I'm so excited about this week because I love using my scrapbook supplies to create inexpensive one-of-a-kind pieces that I can display around my home. It all started many years ago (not gonna say exactly how many) when my husband was still in school and I was at home with four young children. He was a full-time student earning a part-time income and we lived off of student loans. Needless to say, our budget was tight! But I still wanted to surround myself with beauty and express myself creatively, so I learned to be very resourceful. If I couldn't afford it, I would figure out how to make it myself inexpensively.

Each day this week I'll share a different project with you that I've made, plus a little tutorial on how I made it. I'll pass on some tips, ideas, and inspiration for projects that I have on my to-do list as well. Thursday I'll be doing a special giveaway, so be sure to check in. Whether you're a scrapbooker, cardmaker, or papercrafter, hopefully by the end of this week you'll see your scrapbook supplies in a new light, and maybe be inspired to create something beautiful for your home.

Project 1: Poppies in a Vase

We'll start off with something fairly simple. I made this to keep on my craft room desk. It took me about 30 minutes (maybe less?) and was really easy to put together. Here's how to make it:

1. Draw some figure 8's on the back of your double sided patterned paper. You'll need five of them--three of them need to be 1 inch longer than the other two. (Mine are 3.5 inches and 2.5 inches long.) Cut them out, leaving enough space at the center to punch holes without tearing through. 2. Layer the three larger ones on top of each other making sure they're offset. Layer the two smaller ones on top of those, and make sure they're offset as well. 3. Punch two holes through the center of the stack with a 1/8 inch hole punch. 4. Thread a cloth covered florist wire (available at craft stores) up through the bottom of the flowers, adding a button at the top and then going back down through the opposite hole in the button and out the bottom of the flower. Twist the florist wire tightly starting as close as possible to the bottom of the flower. Arrange in a vase with a bow around the neck.

If you've never dabbled in home decor, this is a great project for getting your feet wet. If you give it a try, be sure and post your project in our Flickr gallery. I'll see you tomorrow with a simple framed art project.